RECOMMENDED EFL ESL GAMES
(with Japanese translations)
Good for big groups as all the kids get to practise at once ( and the teacher gets some time to check how the kids are doing or prepare the next activity!)

The Gokiburi Game
(great game, lots of speaking practice, any conversation)

Koala Game
(“Please” and “Thank You” practice!)

What’s the weather like in… ? game

Spiderman – help Spiderman save Mary Jane

Island Hopping – picture card review game

Dice Game

Balloon Game

What did you say? Game

Timebomb (numbers and brain power)

Shiritori (great for Junior High warm up)

English Passports (great activity for visitors!)

Fun Comparatives ( … is …-er than )

Da Vinci Code Game ( phonics decoding )

Conversation EFL ESL Games

These are games where the kids have to use questions / answers, and practise sentences as opposed to simply learning vocab. If you teach in Japan, where kids can already understand several hundred English words, they are recommended to help the kids see how these words fit together.

Doctor, Doctor! (for practicing parts of the body!)

Tower Game!
(good for adding a bit of motivation!)

Lines quiz
(great, fast paced warm up)

Stopwatch game
(simple, very quick game)

Bargaining
(fun numbers and “How much?” practice)

Telephone Game
Target language : Any Conversation, “My name is ….” “How are you?” etc.

What do you like? Bingo
Target language: “What do you like?”,”I like……”

What Time is it Mr Wolf?
(classic kids game)
Target language: “What time is it?

Where are you from? Game
(simply interview game)
Target language: Where? and Country Names

Valentine’s Broken Hearts Game

Members’ Worksheet Games
These are printable worksheets/games to go with the Teacher’s Set.

Genki English Vocab practice games
– all with Japanese explanations!
(use any of the vocab from my Yearplans page!)

Some of these games only need 2 or 3 players. For larger classes, once you’ve done a demo at the front, split the kids into 3 or 4 groups, put them in a circles and the kids take turns in going to the middle to play.

Games:Choose a target theme from the Curriculum, then a game to practise the English.

Learn & Play: Before you play these games you will need to make sure the kids have a basic grip on the target English. The kids have to have fun, but they also have to be progressing with their English skills.

Songs instead of drilling: Drilling can be boring, but songs with actions are a fun alternative.

Set the level: A game for a game’s sakeis no good – choose a game that will let them practise their target language. If it’s too easy or too difficult it won’t be very effective!

Motivation: Games provide extra motivation to learn the target language – learn the new language, win the game!

Everyone: Good games allow the kids to practice with their peers – the best games allow all the kids to speak at once.

It’s the kids: The lessons become less teacher orientated and more student orientated.

Fun: And the biggest advantage of using songs with games is that they are FUN!!
They become so engrossed in the game that the English becomes second nature. It’s a bit like driving a car, what you concentrate on is the road, the skill of moving the pedals becomes second nature through practice.

Good losers: Sometimes kids might get fed up if they lose a game, or other kids might tease the losers , in this case you must teach the kids Genki English Rule No.2:

“Losing” doesn’t mean “losing”, it just means “try again!”

You never truly lose until you stop trying.
If everyone is having fun, everyone is a winner!

Rule No.1: Genki English rule No.1 is

Think “I can do it!” and you can!

Let the kids know it’s not brain surgery, it’s just English and is one of the easiest subjects they’ll learn at school.

Mistaikes: Just like baseball, practice is the key. But unlike music education where “only perfect practice makes perfect” in these games the kids have dozens of chances to make mistakes and perfect their English.

Lego: Each of the themes is structured so that kids can chop and change, build and rebuild new English just like in a Lego set.

The Next Step: Then you can add connector words like “and” or “but” and join the bits and pieces together to eventually lead up to where the kids can say anything they want to say in English. It won’t be 100% correct, but they will be able to get their message across, and that’s an important milestone.

Easy Planning: Nearly all of these games are illustrated with photos of them being used in the classroom. For teachers in Japan there are translations into Japanese – simply hand a copy to your teacher for easy lesson preparation!

Espanol: But it’s not just for teaching ESL or English, nearly all these games work great for teaching ANY language.

45 Mins: Have a look at my lesson plan page to see how to fit these games into your classes.